Today, we check out The Thanos Imperative #6, Shadowland: Daughters of the Shadow #3, The New Avengers #6, Avengers Prime #4, Avengers: The Children's Crusade #3, I Am An Avenger #3 and Blast to the Past for Fantastic Four #'s 45-47. Enjoy and spread the word!

Spoilers Ahead!

Yeah, we're finishing up some stuff and reading FAR too many Avengers books. Many thanks go out to sdsichero and bkthomson for getting us back on the road again!

Looking to read up on everything from Secret Invasion to Siege and beyond? Check no further than this link right HERE.

• This reverses the Necropsy ritual in the Cancerverse. Death is back and the entire universe shudders and dies.

• At the Fault, the Galactus Engine explodes. The Fault begins to close, drawing in the creatures of the Cancerverse as it recedes.

• Death rejects Thanos again. Guess who's gonna lose it?

• The Guardians of the Galaxy teleport out. Nova and Star-Lord stick around to stop T from leaving.

• Medusa MC's a memorial for the fallen three days later.

• Rocket Raccoon and Quasar talk about their lost friends (Star-Lord and Nova) and then look up at their brand new memorial statue.

The previous comic in this series was covered HERE.

Things are getting serious as the Thanos Imperative draws to a close. The big T has surrendered himself to Lord Mar-Vell and it's no surprise to those paying attention. Thanos is nigh unkillable but the one thing he desires more than anything else is Death. He's in love with "her." Mar-Vell may be the only creature in the multi-verse with the power to kill him permanently and it's something he's not going to pass up.

The Guardians of the Galaxy are thrown for a loop and then probably another loop on top of that. They had escorted Thanos to the Cancerverse and then to this very site, the place where the Necropsy Ritual was performed in the Cancerverse to end Death and allow the Cthonic gods full access to this universe. They had hoped that through the Avatar of Death they would be able to reverse the Necropsy and save their own universe from invasion. Things... aren't going as planned. At all.

Granted, Star-Lord didn't have much of a plan anyway. His directive was to get Thanos to the Cancerverse and play things by ear. That has seriously blown up in his face.

Lord Mar-Vell, on the other hand, is having a damn good day. This is the hour that he'll be able to kill the Marvel Universe's Avatar of Death and allow his masters unlimited access to a brand new universe. The twisted version of the original (Marvel) Captain Marvel isn't looking a gift horse anywhere near a mouth. Tentacles grab Thanos and the Guardians as the ritual begins. Jaws and eyes open in the sky as the elder gods of this universe stare intently at this important event.

Mar-Vell calls on the "ceremonial device" and a sword shows up in his hand with a burst of light after a whole lot of chanting. The Lord of the Cancerverse wastes no time plunging that weapon deep into Thanos' chest.

The big battle is happening at the Fault, the giant rip in space and time that connects the Cancerverse to the Marvel Universe. The Cancerverse invaders are hard to kill and are a real threat to the Marvel U's big players. We're talking about creatures like Thanos and the Celestials who recognize the danger presented by this unholy universe and have set aside their differences to form a united front against the Cancerverse interlopers. What they face is a monstrous thing that even the mighty Galactus finds a challenge: the Galactus Engine. It's even more massive than the giant G. The opening panel of this scene shows the thing ready to swallow the Devourer of Worlds whole.

The cosmic entities aren't the only ones fighting this defensive effort. The empires of the stars have also united, trying REALLY hard to put their own differences on the shelf for the duration of the war. Some of the most powerful sentient beings in the universe have gathered for this possible final act defending the Marvel Universe. In the last few issues, Nova gathered up a strike force of Omega powered warriors and they're all busy in defensive efforts. Silver Surfer. Beta Ray Bill. Gladiator. Ronan the Accuser. The biggest guns you'll find anywhere, really. They aren't faring much better than Galactus.

Silver Surfer remarks that when Galactus falls, the ball game is pretty much all over. The rest don't appreciate Norrin's defeatist talk and tell him to keep the communication channel open for actual strategic talk. Gladiator tries to direct some of the defenses where they are most needed but finds that the forces he's looking for have already fled the Fault. Blastaar, who has been a thorn in the side of any defense effort, has taken his Negative Zone armies and left the party. Queen Medusa of the Kree/ Inhumans informs the Shi'ar Majestor all of this and then sends in the Nova Corps to back-up Galactus.

And here are the Nova Corps!

<--IMAGE-->

In the lead is Quasar. Wendell was given a nice boost of Nova Force last issue when Richard Rider gave him charge over the Nova Corps as he left to win this war elsewhere. While all of the Corps should be in red uniforms after their demotions from Centurions, we see pretty much everyone in Centurion gear. Maybe this war has caused a number of field promotions. We'll let them have their moment in the sun.

The World-Mind is monitoring this Fault defense force but is more concerned with the whereabouts of the Nova Corps' leader, Nova Prime, Richard Rider. Last issue, Rider took a Guardians of the Galaxy passport and used it to teleport into the Cancerverse, straight to Star-Lord's location. You'll notice he didn't just show up there at the beginning of the issue. In fact, World-Mind has lost track of him. Sensors on Knowhere, the severed head at the edge of space/time that serves as the headquarters for the Guardians of the Galaxy, don't have anything on him and it's been twenty minutes. Major Victory suggests pulling Nova's card, returning him to Knowhere but World-Mind knows how Richard would feel about that. She and Namorita snipe each other on who is closer to the Nova Prime but they're probably more on edge for having lost track of him than anything else.

Back in the Cancerverse at the site of the Necropsy, Lord Mar-Vell is still stabbing Thanos through with that ceremonial sword. Maybe it's because T is so hard to kill or maybe it's because the ritual is long and arduous but... the Mad Titan is getting impatient. He tells Mar-Vell to finish this thing up. He doesn't have all day.

The Guardians of the Galaxy are wrapped up tightly in disgusting tentacles and can't do anything but watch as their Universe loses it's best chance at winning the war with the Cancerverse. Mantis says that at least Nova Prime was able to free them but that hasn't actually happened. Yet.

HERE HE COMES TO SAVE THE DAY! Richard Rider finally makes his way to the Necropsy Site and starts doing what he does best. Seriously, people: frickn' Nova. Rider flies in and fires off a few gravimetric blasts, freeing the Guardians. They shout at him to stop wasting time and to free Thanos because he's the entire ballgame. Nova balks at this for a moment but the serious vibe he's getting from everyone makes his course clear.

Of course, it's not as easy as just flying to Lord Mar-Vell and saving everyone. There's a whole group of Revengers to get through. These are the Cancerverse Avengers who have the added bonus of being unkillable and super strong. Richard puts a beating on Thor straight out of the gate. This is a good plan because Thor is almost always the most powerful Avenger you'll find on the field. The fact that NOVA just took out a super powerful version of the thunder god is just awesome on a cake.

And that's before Richard calls in for a super charge. Realizing just how much of a threat these Revengers are to his mission, Rider contacts the World-Mind through more interference than the Xandarian super-intelligence is comfortable with. He asks her to give him all of the Nova Force. He'll need it to safeguard the universe. This means taking all the powers away from every other Nova Corpsman right as they're aiding Galactus but Richard believes it completely necessary and he's the Nova Prime so there ya go.

If you're wondering if any Corpsmen got killed from this action, it's unclear. You'll see some of them at the end of this issue so it's not like this act killed them ALL. World-Mind possibly got word to Quasar about what was going to happen and the Protector of the Universe may have used his Quantum Bands to shuffle the Corps to safety after they were depowered. Maybe. Anyway, Nova Prime is left with all of the Nova Force. It gives him the strength to take on ALL of the Revengers at once which is good because Thor is back in the game and trying to smite him with Mjolnir.

None of that is getting Nova any closer to Mar-Vell or Thanos. Since the Necropsy Ritual seems to be taking it's sweet time, Thanos starts talking about the Marvel Universe version of Mar-Vell. In the MU, Captain Mar-Vell was a defender of life and someone that Thanos learned to grudgingly respect. Lord Mar-Vell has heard a lot about his counterpart and doesn't have many kind words for Captain Marvel. He was a fool who chose to die instead of living. Be that as it may, the two share a possibly fatal flaw.

Thanos tells Lord Mar-Vell that Captain Marvel was always jumping into situations without figuring out all the angles. It's the same thing Lord Mar-Vell is doing. RIGHT NOW. The Lord of the Cancerverse has brought Thanos here and that sword is bringing him nearer and nearer to Death. This means that Death is right here and she's not looking to take Thanos with her. She's here for someone who should have passed on a LONG time ago. Lord Mar-Vell.

Marv pulls the ceremonial blade out of Thanos but there's probably nothing he could have done. Death is here for him. She reaches out and Mar-Vell disintegrates. The effect reverberates throughout the Cancerverse. The Revengers quickly decompose as the shockwave of Death spreads throughout the Cancerverse. It's welcome relief to the defenders of the Fault.

The Galactus Engine detonates. The Fault begins to collapse on itself, either killing or pulling in the Cancerverse invaders. Medusa orders the defending ships to reach a safe distance from the Fault so that they aren't pulled inside.

I'd say it's all over but the dying but that's what's going on right now and we have much more story to tell. Lord Mar-Vell and his Revengers army is gone. The Cancerverse is dead or dying. Thanos has saved the Marvel Universe. Win, right? Oh, we're not done yet.

Big T talks to Death about how he just killed a universe for her. It's another gift for his lady love. Sure, he had doubts about their relationship after she brought him back pretty much unkillable but now he sees why that was done. He hopes that she'll finally take him with her into her loving embrace. That's not going to happen, though. Death turns away from him.

Like a lovesick teenager, the Mad Titan starts going into a violent rage. Not wanting his team around when Thanos explodes, Star-Lord orders the Guardians of the Galaxy to teleport back home. They all think that Star-Lord and Nova are going to join them but to their surprise see the heroes leaping down the embankment towards Thanos as they teleport out.

It doesn't sit well with Rocket Raccoon to be left out of this final battle for everything and he demands that Major Victory send him back into the fight. It's not like the Major wouldn't do that if he could but it looks like it's impossible. The Guardians barely got out of the Cancerverse and going back isn't going to happen. Star-Lord and Nova are on their own and they probably don't have a trip back.

In the Cancerverse one last time, Richard Rider and Peter Quill look at their arsenal. Nova's fully charged up and Star-Lord is still carrying around that broken Cosmic Cube that doesn't seem to be losing the final charge that everyone keeps saying it has even though it's already been uses at least once since that was said. Anyway, Thanos is in the middle of his angsty rage when he notices the two heroes and decides to blame everything on Star-Lord. The Mad Titan vows to kill off the entire Marvel Universe. It's a direct possibilty.

Which means Nova and Star-Lord hold the line and make sure that Thanos doesn't return to the MU. Richard recalls a blashback scene from the very first issue of The Thanos Imperative. It was a quiet moment during the Annihilation War when the two were talking about facing down the Universe's Abstracts. Rider remembers Quill saying something like, "If Death ever comes your way and won't let you pass... make sure you scream right back in his face."

How appropriate. They aren't letting certain death pass THEM.

Peter muses that he was mostly talking out of his @$ back then but it doesn't stop Richard from saying, "Let's scream in his face anyway." The two charge into final battle with their respective powers blasting.

Everything goes white.

Time passes. Days go by. We join the survivors of the Cancerverse Invasion in Attilan, the Inhuman City and capital of the Kree Empire, currently located on Hala. Queen Medusa leads a memorial service to those that have fallen in this terrible conflict.

Medusa's speech is full of looking brightly towards a future, but that future is fraught with its own peril. The Cancerverse Invasion was just the latest in a series of cosmic events that has severely weakened every galactic empire and civilization that we know about. Rebuilding will be difficult, but rebuild they must. Who knows when the next galactic event will drop in their laps.

After that wonderful ceremony, Quasar and Rocket Raccoon talk things over while walking through the memorial garden. We see statues to the fallen. Adam Warlock, Drax the Destroyer, and Phyla-Vell are all represented. Moondragon and Gamorra are both standing in front of Phyla's statue. It'll probably take Heather some time to get beyond the death of her love.

Quasar and Rocket talk about the current state of the Nova Corps. It seems they are done. The Nova Force never returned after the collapse of the Cancerverse. World-Mind has shut down for what Wendell believes will be some kind of reboot. Richard left behind a lot of people that loved him, not least of which would be Namorita and Robert Rider. 'Nita's taking things badly. She was pulled out of time from a point where they had just gotten serious so love was a new thing for her. Robert just doesn't think his brother is gone and he's got history on his side on that one.

Wendel and Rocket Raccoon have some realities to add to that, however. Star-Lord and Nova Prime were both stuck in a dying universe with a raging Thanos to contend with. They might have survived but they could never return, right?

Oh, we'll let history be the judge of this but as far as "permanent" deaths go, this one doesn't feel that way. It just feels like a good way to say good-bye to Marvel Cosmic. Wendel and Rocket stand before a giant double statue featuring both Nova and Star-Lord in action poses. The engravement has their names as well as "Guardians of the Galaxy" listed. It's a good way to go out as heroes.

• Colleen Wing breaks back into Shadowland and makes another attempt at freeing her friend, Tig. The Nail is waiting.

• Colleen fights Black Lotus for leadership of the Nail.

• Wing wins the fight. Cherry Blossom sides with her and they leave with Tig.

• Colleen and her two friends fly to Japan for another mission.

The previous comic in this series was covered HERE.

Last issue, Colleen was sliced right below her neck. It was a bad looking cut, but it didn't take her out of the fight against her former team, the Nail. I should probably give you all a reminder of who the Nail are and why Colleen is doing all of this. Let's see if I can do it in two sentences. The Nail is a group of female assassins working for the Hand and formerly lead by Colleen's mother. She joined the group as their leader to learn more about her mom but found the questionable nature of the Hand and the capture of her innocent friend, Tig, has caused her to risk everything to free her friend.

Wow. I did that in a concise manner. Go me.

So, Colleen tried freeing Tig last issue only to find her team waiting to nab her. This begins a fight between one female samurai and an eclectic group of femme fatales. Even though she's outnumbered and injured, Wing does pretty well. The fight lasts three and a half pages before the Nail finally brings her down. "Justice" is about to be dealt in a very swift manner but Black Lotus's killing stroke is stopped by Cherry Blossom. She recommends they bring this traitor to Daredevil so that they can confirm that the leader of the Nail has betrayed the Hand. It's good advice but Colleen sees through the intelligence of it and realizes that she has an ally among her enemies.

Black Lotus leads the group up to Daredevil's chambers until they pass by a particularly moronic prisoner who cat-calls like he's not a guy in a cell at the mercy of some viscious females. Lotus and Makro (the female Doc Ock clone) stick around to beat up at least one idiot. Cherry Blossom and Yuki continue the journey alone.

Here comes a confusing scene. It's not because of the talk. Cherry Blossom speaks to Colleen in Japanese and tells her that she needs to escape before they reach DD's throne room. What's confusing is why Yuki isn't really reacting to any of this. If she doesn't speak Japanese, I'd be surprised but let's just pretend for a moment that one of the more Japanese-oriented members of the Nail doesn't know the language. It still doesn't fit. Wing continues speaking in English and at most Yuki would realize that these two are deep in a conversation and might have suspected this turn of events. Either she's not really that interested in preventing Colleen from escaping, she's in on the whole thing, or she's just a bit on the incompetent side. When Colleen kicks Cherry, the girl passes right through Yuki but the ghost lady doesn't really do much of anything.

That leaves the samurai (Wing. Pay attention!) free to break through a window and escape.

All of this gets reported back to Daredevil who makes only one appearance in this issue. He's interrogating Councilman Shake, the roundabout bad guy from the first two issues. This scene is also kind of interesting because it leaves us wondering if they've even got the right guy. The Councilman is tied to a bed over a pool of water and whenever he doesn't give Murdock the information DD wants, Shake is dipped into the water for a while. Since Councilman Shake is doing this a lot, you can imagine how many times he takes the dip. Through the whole thing, Shake doesn't fess up to anything and given the history of the man (he used to protect his vending machines personally with a baseball bat), you have to wonder if the wrong man has been fingered for a crime. It makes you think at least.

Matt tells the new leader of the Nail, Black Lotus, to expect Colleen to return.

Before Wing U-turns and faces the Nail again, she makes a visit to a former and future friend: Misty Knight. Misty's off doing her own things during Shadowland which should be wrapping up pretty quickly in the pages of Shadowland: Blood on the Streets but it looks like she has time for a scene or two in this book. Knight wakes up from her slumber and senses the samurai girl right outside her window. It's a little shocking but with all the people recently breaking into her home, not unexpected. When she asks Colleen what the hell she's doing out on the patio at this time of night, Wing asks for a cup of joe.

Inside Shadowland, the rest of the Nail are getting some sort of pep talk from Black Lotus. BL is in charge of the Nail now but she needs to make sure her team is ready to do away with their old leader. She either suspects or knows that Cherry and Yuki helped Colleen escape, but issues them a pardon on the grounds that it's hard to turn on a leader. Now, however, decisions need to be made. After going over a very brief synopsis on each member of the group, she asks them if they are in or out. While everyone is in, the reactions run the gamut between blind loyalty or passing interest. It's a hell of a team.

Meanwhile, at Misty's place, Knight is getting the low down on Colleen's adventures in this very mini-series. Luckily, Misty isn't in the "I told you so mood" when Wing tells her about how she joined the Hand even after learning that Daredevil was possessed by an evil demon. Learning about her mother was obviously very important to her and that's hard to argue with. What's even more important is that Colleen learned that she doesn't have to walk in her mom's shoes to learn about the lady.

<--IMAGE-->

Misty tells a story about how they were tracking down a bail jumper a while back. They had the guy in a restaurant but decided not to actually nab him because Colleen saw his kids coloring and told Misty to stand down. It turns out that even though Misty was the unofficial leader of their duo, Colleen's input was important. At the same time, it shows that Wing has some lines she doesn't want to cross. She's not all about scarring children, for example.

It looks like one friendship is finally healed after it was torn apart by the Civil War era Heroes for Hire book. That's pretty special. The two ladies hug. Misty won't be joining Colleen to end this adventure but her words have inspired Wing to bring this thing to a close.

Anyone can break into Shadowland. Hell, even when the fortress was in complete lockdown mode, FOGGY FREAKING NELSON was able to break in. Security in pretty damn terrible. It should be no surprise to anyone that Colleen is able to take out a Hand guard and steal his clothes before the ninja burst into a puff of green smoke. Wing uses the clever disguise to re-enter the dungeon and break Tig out of her cell. The two make it out of the building only to face the Nail and a plethora of Hand ninjas all ready to burst into green smoke. They were found because Colleen was expected and the fortress picked her up on cameras.

They're outnumbered and Tig is useless for this fight. Colleen tells Black Lotus that she is still in charge of the Nail no matter who Daredevil named her successor. She's read the sacred scrolls and tells Lotus that only through the "Rite of Continuity" can someone else claim leadership of the Nail. Cherry Blossom curses.

Now, Colleen could be totally lying about this Rite of Continuity thing but Black Lotus hasn't actually done the reading on the Nail so that means it's time to enact this ancient and obviously sacred rite. It's armed combat between Colleen and Black Lotus! Good times!

Samurais versus ninjas. You have to love that kind of thing. This fight is fierce and there is blood drawn on both sides. In the end, Colleen wins the contest even with a sai pinning her foot to the ground. Black Lotus expects this to be the end but that's not what the fight was about. It was about who was in charge and that is Colleen.

Not that Ms. Wing has any interest in leader the Nail anymore. She just uses her position to get Tig out of Shadowland. When it becomes apparent that Colleen won't be able to walk out on her own because of that leg, Cherry Blossom takes Wing's arm and helps the samurai limp out with Tig on the other side.

This effectively leaves Black Lotus in charge of the remains of the Nail and the assassin screams out her plans of vengeance. Colleen joined to learn about her mom? Fine. Lotus will burn any information left on Wing's mother. Take that, lady who bested BL in combat!

Colleen doesn't really care right now. She did what she had to do. After introducing Cherry Blossom to Tig, Wing declares that it's time to pass out.

Well, what do you know? Colleen didn't die.

We catch up with samurai lady a couple weeks later. She's on a flight to Japan on a random mission for money. The details aren't given and aren't really important. She's still healing from the battle but she has some friends to help her out. Both Tig and Cherry Blossom are joining her on this adventure. While they're there, Colleen figures she can keep looking into her mother's past. Maybe the file in Shadowland is gone but that doesn't mean her mother's history has just disappeared.

After a few more lines about how "sisters make their own destiny," we wonder what dictionary Colleen Wing is using for the word "sister" and move on to the next book.

• Wolverine is charged up by the Avengers' powers combined and sent to the Light Dimension to face Agamotto.

• ASTRAL SMACK DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!

• Back in New York City, the New Avengers watch the match and try to get Spider-Man to stop talking.

• Agamotto looks like he's got Wolverine's number and the universe is forfeit if that happens.

• Victoria Hand guards the doors of Avengers Mansion.

• Daniel Drumm joins the battle. This unnerves his brother, Jericho.

• With both Daniel and Wolverine on the ropes, Doctor Voodoo enters the battle personally. This is probably against the rules.

• Jericho Drumm uses the Eye of Agamotto to destroy Agamotto. He also kind of dies himself.

• Daniel Drumm possesses the body of Luke Cage and rages against the New Avengers who were clearly responsible for all of this.

• After Daniel leaves, the New Avengers recount what they've just lost. Daimon Hellstrom walks out of the Mansion and tells the crowd what the Avengers did for them in his own rascally manner.

The previous comic in this series was covered HERE.

It's the final showdown between Agamotto and the New Avengers! Are you ready to ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuumble!?

I guess so.

OK, here are the beats you'll need to understand WTF: Agamotto, quite possibly the first Sorceror Supreme of the Earth, is gathering up his possessions and really wants his Eye back. This has proven more trouble than he thought it would, and after sending several light demon minions to snatch the thing, he was challenged to a magic duel by the current Sorceror Supreme, Doctor Voodoo. This battle isn't going to be Voodoo versus Agamotto, though. It's going to be one vessel versus one vessel. Jericho's plan is to focus all of the Avengers (and Hellstrom and Strange) into one super magical warrior of awesome. Wolverine volunteers for the job and gets super charged in a magical ritual. This also gives him the golden emblems of Hellstrom and Iron Fist burning on his chest.

And now you're all caught up and ready for the magical rumble of the millenium. Logan is powered up and just needs to be sent on his merry way into the battle for all of reality. It's just one sidestep away. It's also very bright.

If you're looking for a play-by-play, I'm not going to do that because this is magic and I hate giving blow-by-blow reports. They read like stereo instructions to me except they're probably harder to understand. What I'll give you is the feeling. Agamotto is a nice guy with a taunt and acts all disappointed that he's not fighting Jericho Drumm but is instead staring down a stand-in. The magical being also keeps switching shapes in an attempt to rattle his opponent. Wolverine isn't bothered because he's... the best he is at what he does. Yeah. He is.

In New York, a spell is cast so that the New Avengers and their magical friends can watch the battle as it happens. The three sorcerors continue to cast support spells on their tank so that he doesn't fall in battle and doom all reality. Peter Parker isn't helping them concentrate because he's Spider-Man and can't shut up. The Avengers need to stay focused because they are connected to this fight in every way that matters. Wolverine is using their powers and they can feel the attacks that Logan is taking.

Jericho Drumm isn't comfortable with the way this is going down. He expected to be the one entering the battle, but yielded to Wolverine because the mutant has a killer instinct that he doesn't. That instinct isn't proving to be enough. Agamotto is beginning to win the fight.

Wolverine struggles to regain the upper hand. Agamotto throws off Logan's trash talk and instead focuses on how deadly important this fight is to both of them. Wolverine is battling for an entire Universe. Aggy is fighting for his own life as well as his "possessions." He decides that this fight is going so well that when it's over, he'll make sure that no-one even remembers the Marvel 616. It'll be like it never happened. This sounds completely fair to him.

While the Avengers seance continues, Ms. Victoria Hand lugs her comically huge gun to the front entrance of Avengers Mansion.

<--IMAGE-->

Ah... Victoria Hand. She's the former Deputy Director of HAMMER and not many people's favorite person. Steve Rogers gave her a chance at redemption and it's all about serving as the New Avengers coordinator and liason. Right now, she's probably feeling pretty useless. She wasn't even invited into the seance of power... granted she doesn't have any super abilities but she's got her own intelligence. That should count for something.

At the door the Avengers Mansion, she's there to watch as New Yorkers start flooding through the gates. They look a bit lost, honestly. Victoria looks up at the sky and sees the crack spreading.

Wolverine still isn't winning. Agamotto continues to alter his/her form as he blasts the mutant every which way (but loose). This is a battle unlike anything Aggy has faced in thousands of years. That makes it special.

Daniel Drumm, Jericho's ghost brother, was lost in the Light Dimension since the first issue of this volume of New Avengers. He doesn't know what's going on. All he knows is that Wolverine is being attacked by... Sabretooth? Yeah, Agamotto switched from Apocalypse to Sabretooth. The ghost Drumm channels his power into a demon form and attacks the Sabretooth lookalike. This was an unexpected attack but it probably hits Jericho's nerves more than it does Agamotto's.

Wolverine doesn't pause. He sees his opening and strikes out at Agamotto when the opportunity presents itself. Now in Captain America's form, Aggy sees Daniel's interference as a break of the sacred rules of the magical duel. Again, Daniel doesn't know what the supreme magical entity is talking about.

Even so, Wolverine and Daniel are both unable to defeat Agamotto and the former Vishanti has them BOTH on the ropes before two pages are through.

Doctor Voodoo is unable to maintain his cool. He leaps out of his position and enters the battle personally, ignoring the cries of Daimon Hellstrom and Stephen Strange. Heck, Dr. Strange can hardly keep Daimon in his seat. This battle has just leaped off the board. The sky continues to crack apart.

In the Light Dimension, Doctor Voodoo demands that Agamotto give up. Since Aggy is fighting from a position of strength and has nearly defeated both Wolverine and Daniel Drumm, he doesn't really take this seriously. That's because he doesn't realize that Voodoo has figured him out. It's not the Vishanti that are gone. They KICKED HIM OUT. That means Agamotto is stripped of most of his powers. He's going for the Eye not only because it contains some of his own strength but it also has the power to destroy him in his weakened condition.

Aggy, in tiger form, leaps at Jericho but never reaches the Sorceror Supreme. Doctor Voodoo fires the Eye at the former Vishanti and the effect is immediate. Strange, watching from New York, sheds a tear at what is taking place. The Eye of Agamotto widens as the Sorceror Supreme uses it to destroy Agamotto. Wolverine and Daniel Drumm are pretty much powerless to do anything here as Jericho Drumm's own body is shredded in this spell.

Logan is sent home violently as the being that was Agamotto explodes. As I said, Doctor Voodoo isn't as lucky. Daniel watches this all go down, still powerless to do anything and probably a bit confused as to why it's happening.

Back in New York, Dr. Strange laments the loss of the Earth's Sorceror Supreme and the Eye of Agamotto. It's not coming back and neither is Jericho. Strange can understand why things went down the way they did. It's a terrible personal loss but also a great loss for the entire world. There will be no new Sorceror Supreme.

Daniel Drumm doesn't give a damn about the world. He just cares about what HE lost. His brother is gone and he blames pretty much everyone in Avengers Mansion. Possessing the body of Luke Cage, Daniel swears vengeance and then attacks. The Thing stops Cage from doing anything he'd regret later but at the cost of a few more walls of Avengers Mansion. Geez... the place just got rebuilt and it's going down fast! Daniel doesn't stick around long. Luke comes to with no memory of his possession. The New Avengers have made another enemy even though this one doesn't really have any reason to blame the team for his brother's loss. Grief is funny that way?

Daimon Hellstrom gave the team a warning about what was going on with magic back during the Dark Reign. They didn't heed his warning... or at least they didn't do it fast enough... to prevent what happened today. He walks out of the Mansion and sees the crowd of New Yorkers in front of the building.

Addressing the crowd, the son of Satan tells them that they just got saved because of the Avengers who are much too modest to admit it. The whole world was saved thanks to Earth's Mightiest and Hellstrom doesn't seem to think it was worth it. He basically tells the people assembled on the lawn of Avengers Mansion to make their lives worth the sacrifice that was given today. Then he storms off as is his style.

Avengers Prime #4Writer: Brian Michael BendisPenciler: Alan Davis

In this story:

• The Enchantress tries to carry off Mjolnir. Failing that, she makes a grab for Hela's sword. This wakes up Hela.

• It's Enchantress versus Hela! Woo!

• Thor tells everyone that he thinks they are in Hel. No-one wants to believe him.

• After defeating Amora, Hela tries to lift Mjolnir but can't because it still belongs to Thor. She tries to summon up someone worthy of lifting the thing.

• That somone is Bor who she calls straight from Hel. Bor doesn't really like Hela and after trying to lift Mjolnir and failing, realizes that his grandson is still alive and tries to attack Hela before being returned to Hel.

• Enchantress recovers and has called up an army of demons to attack Hela.

• The big three Avengers prepare for the coming battle and do a little more male bonding.

• Fafnir and the trolls attack. After a short battle, Thor wrestles the dragon to the ground and calls for an alliance for the salvation of the Nine Realms.

• Hela reveals her sword to be the Twilight Sword which is pretty damn bad.

The previous comic in this series was covered HERE.

Last issue, Thor fought a knockdown, dragout, slobberknocker of a fight against Hela. The most interesting thing about that battle was that he WASN'T WINNING. This is Thor. God of thunder. Big guy on campus. We just saw in his own series how his help was vital in the defeat of the Dísir in Hela's own realm. While that actually happens AFTER this story, it's interesting to see him on the ropes against a person he'll be helping in the near future.

The reason Thor's still alive to talk about his defeat is because another one of his enemies/ex-girlfriends stepped up and saved his life. Amora, the Enchantress, who had so recently been attacking Thor herself, had seen the Odinson in peril and started working her magic to remove Hela and herself from the battlefield.

Which is where this issue begins. Amora regains consciousness first in whatever part of the Nine Realms she's teleported herself and Hela to. She looks around and sees that two weapons were brought with them: Mjolnir and Hela's sword. After trying her luck with Thor's hammer, she learns that the enchantments on it still stand. The Enchantress moves on to Hela's sword. Some silent alarm sounds as she gets close to the blade, waking Hela from her unconscious state. Hela swipes up her weapon before Amora can even try to lift it.

Hela's more surprised than anything else. She never expected the Enchantress to step up for Thor after all he's done. Apparently, the death of the thunder god would have solved a lot of problems for the Nine Realms. The two immortal women fight each other as Hela asks a couple vital questions: Where am I? Where's Thor? WTF?

This is Hel. Or, at least, that's what Thor would have you believe. In the first issue of this series, Thor, Iron Man, and Steve Rogers were teleported to what looked to be the Nine Realms but nothing in this area is like it should be. Steve's dark elf "friend," Mageth, tells them that they are currently standing in the woods of Jotunheim but Thor disputes this. He knows the land and this isn't it. They are in the land of the dead.

Mageth starts to believe him.

Thor recounts his battle with Hela again, this time focusing on how impossible it was for him to have been on the ropes like he was. Hela's blade, the Nightsword, can't match up against the hammer of Thor. Strength for strength, Thor's stats are all stacked in his favor. Still, he was losing badly before the Enchantress intervened. The all wonder why the Enchantress went from attacking him to saving him but don't have any answers for WHY. Well, Tony has some quips about the nature of women but Steve tells him to knock it off.

Back to this being the land of the dead or whatever is actually going on. Mageth pleads with Thor to put right what has gone terribly wrong. If this isn't how things are supposed to be, it's his duty to fix things. Rogers wonders if things may have gone all screw shaped because of their explosive arrival through the broken rainbow bridge gate. What if this is all their fault?

If Thor can't stand up to Hela, the Enchantress isn't going to fare much better. When the smoke clears, Amora is lying on the ground in a stuppor. Hela strides away, noticing the fallen hammer of Thor. She attempts to lift it herself and, of course, fails. This frustrates the goddess of death because, hey, free hammers that you can't lift to save your life.

After thinking on this for a time, Hela decides on a course of action that may gain her control of Mjolnir. She summons Bor, the father of Odin, from her realm, hoping he will be able to life Thor's hammer. Bor doesn't trust Hela, with good reason. She feeds him a pack of lies about the death of Thor and how she will allow him to live again if he can pick up this little hammer trinket. After a bit more cajoling, Bor finally relents to make a try at the hammer.

He can't pick the thing up and realizes the extent of Hela's lies. Thor still lives and he's had enough of the goddess of death's evil mechanations. The grandfather of Thor rushes towards Hela but is sent back to the land of the dead for his efforts. Hela's still super frustrated for how this is going down.

Meanwhile, the Enchantress has gained a second, possibly a third wind and has used the break to magic up an army to oppose Hela. It's demons and beasts of all shapes and sizes. We call them cannon fodder.

In the twisted version of Jotunheim, Thor sits before a fire, thinking about what they're facing and meditating. He's concerned with the loss of Mjolnir but is certain that the enchantments remain in place on the item. All there is to do is wait until morning so they can have a proper look around. This leaves them time to talk about man things in front of their man fire.

Steve offers his sympathies for the death of Thor's brother Loki even though Thor hasn't thought through how he actually think about the trickster god's death. Tony offers his own condolences but recognizes that the Siege of Asgard all lies at the feet of Loki so the dude had a lot to answer for. Still, Thor looks deep in thought.

More man talk is had and maybe some of the fractures that have split these three since Civil War have started to fade. Thor's already cool with everyone. They helped out his people during the Siege and bygones are bygones. It's Steve and Tony that really need to hug it out and we've seen them start that process last issue when they rode on a horse together. What might actually break the tension around the fire is Tony asking Steve is he ever bedded Patsy Walker. Hellcat.

Wanna know the funny part about this? Walker is Daimon Hellstrom's ex. You know, the son of Satan from the New Avengers story we just finished? That guy. She wasn't always married to Hellstrom so there's time before and after their marriage for Steve and her to have gotten down. She claims it happened. Rogers looks mystified and gives it a big old no. Sheepishly, Thor admits that HE might have brought Patsy into his bed. They all smirk.

Tony mentioned something about dragons earlier and it has finally registered with Thor. He asks if there was a specific dragon Iron Man was referencing. Tony is about to regail them all with his adventures with Fafnir when the giant dragon shows up with his army of trolls.

<--IMAGE-->

Faf is a about to become the centerpoint on Thor's "We're all in Hel" argument because he REMEMBERS killing the dragon. Fafnir is dead but here he is walking around.

The big guy doesn't even try denying his dead status. He simply doesn't care. Fafnir is more pissed off at his killer and starts blowing fire at the god of thunder. Iron Man and Steve Rogers leap to Thor's defense and a mini battle starts happening in Jotunheim. The best thing about this fight is that it shows the Iron Man is at least partially back in action. Tony has a blaster, possibly repulsor based, equipped to his left hand. Otherwise, he looks like he's rocking swords, knives, and whatever additional armor he can lay his hands on.

This isn't the fight that Thor wants, though, and he quickly calls an end to hostilities after flipping the giant dragon over into the fire. The Trolls are about ready to run when Thor stands on top of Fafnir and gives them a speech about fighting to return the land to its natural state. This talk also draws out the hiding dark elves who like what they hear. Only Fafnir has no interest in this war with Hela and Thor tells him to get out of here if that's his stance.

The Enchantress has lost to Hela again despite her magicked-up army. Amora really wants to know why Hela is so powerful and Hela finally does some explaining. With Asgard removed from the Nine Realms, things are all up in the air. Magical artifacts no longer rest where they should. Ancient enchantments aren't as solid. Hela has used the opening to get her grubby hands on artifacts that have helped her achieve power levels she hasn't had before.

For example, her Nightsword isn't actually the Nightsword. She reveals the blade's true form and we see it for what it is. It's the Twilight Sword.

Now, you're probably wondering what the Twilight Sword is. This blade was forged by Surtur during Walt Simonson's run on Thor. It was forged using the destruction of Beta Ray Bill's home galaxy as a furnace. This is the sword of doom and it's in Hela's hand.

Now that the Enchantress knows the truth of things, she can live long. Hela strikes down with her sword and a firey explosion lights up the night sky. It's seen in Thor's camp.

• After nighty night time, Wiccan tries to go to Latveria without everyone else but is interrupted first by Quicksilver and later by the Young Avengers.

• The Avengers try recruiting Wonder Man to find the Scarlet Witch. Wolverine takes a hard stance on what they'll do when they find Wanda and goes off on his own. Simon isn't too happy to work with the Avengers and also leaves to work on his own.

• Wiccan waits until everyone's asleep and then attempts to leave for Latveria. Again. Because he's an idiot.

• Once there, he tricks the Doombot sentries into bringing him to Wanda's room where he learns that the Scarlet Witch doesn't remember her former life.

• She's also getting married to Dr. Doom! Woo! Wedding bells!

The previous comic in this series was covered HERE.

Well, at least the art is pretty, right?

The problem with your basic model teenager is that they'll do the most insane, idiotic thing you can imagine just because they know they aren't supposed to do it. It's a condundrum and I'm surprised that more basic model teenagers don't wind up dead from their insane, idiotic goings on. With that editorial out of the way, let's return to our story already in progress.

The Wanda Maximoff that was discovered in Transia turned out to be a Doombot which is good news because otherwise she would have been run through by wooden stakes thrown by Pietro Maximoff. Quicksilver still wonders if this is part of his father's master plan but Magneto uses his control over metal to strip the robot down, revealing the intricate design that must be that of Dr. Doom. This isn't exactly PROOF since it's not like Magneto hasn't done some detailed robotics or biology in his long history but we move on to WHY Doom is the obvious choice.

Magneto breaks down the origin of Dr. Doom which is something we did in Super Reads long term during the Dark Reign. Basically, Victor Von Doom is a master of technology AND magic which means he could replace the Scarlet Witch while using his sorcery to extinguish all trace of her existence. Magnus also admits that Doom is the "most POWERFUL man alive." This is high praise from the Master of Magnetism who is a force to be reckoned with on his own.

He also mentions that the only one more powerful than Dr. Doom is a woman. You might know her. She's Wanda Maximoff. This is directed straight at Pietro who used his sister to recreate reality. Basically, all the dirt Pietro is throwing at his dad can be levelled straight back at the mutant speedster who was responsible for the House of M. There's a possibility that Dr. Doom is using the Scarlet Witch in the same way. No-one would know about it. Reality would just shift to suit the Latverian Dictator's whims.

It would certainly explain why Steve Rogers and Tony Stark are walking around in last week's looks instead of their Heroic Age threads. I'm sure we could use it to explain all the rest of the inconsistancies we see here and there. Warp that prism, Wanda.

So, what's the plan? Magneto suggests that they all sneak into Latveria, look for the Witch, and leave with her. It's a lot better than a full frontal invasion of Latveria but it still doesn't sit well with Pietro or some of the Young Avengers. Patriot and Tommy in particular think it's a stupid idea. Billy is ready to go right now. All he wants is to head off on his own so that no-one else is at risk because why do the smart thing?

Magneto is not about that at all. He's not willing to lose his grandson. They will all go. Patriot has some words about who will lead because, really, it SHOULD be him since he's the only one making a lick of sense. Unfortunately, the leader of the Young Avengers isn't him. It's Hawkeye. Magneto offers up his services since he's the strongest and is the most seasoned guy around. Quicksilver can't pass up a moment to snipe at his daddy. Sure, he's got the EXP but the most powerful guy in the room is Wiccan. Billy has the same abilities as Wanda which makes him super dangerous. If only he had stuck around with the Avengers so that they could test his power levels. Ah well. Teenagers.

After a bit more sniping and everyone questioning the intentions of Magneto (and, really, who can blame them?), Magnus leads the Young Avengers to their bed chambers and then leaves them alone so they can talk more smack about him. It doesn't take them long to realize that Wiccan snuck off while they weren't looking.

True to his plan of being completely stupid through pretty much this entire story, Billy has decided that the best course of action is to sneak off into Latveria on his own to get captured and used as a pawn in Dr. Doom's plans. Before he can magic his way into Latveria, Quicksilver finds him and asks if he can come along. He's pretty happy about how rebellious his potential nephew is. It's like a chip off the old block or something.

The Young Avengers show up before the two can teleport out together. Teddy lays down the law. No-one is going anywhere unless the whole team goes. If Pietro tries convincing Wiccan otherwise, he'll lose both his arms. Everyone returns to their beds.

In New York City, the Avengers have brought in a specialist. Wonder Man has an intimate history with Wanda Maximoff. In fact, she returned him from the dead during the opening chapter of Heroes Return. The Avengers believe that this rebirth left a mark on Simon that they can trace right back to Wanda. Wonder Man hasn't been doing that great with the Avengers concept so it's a credit to his relationship with Wanda that he's not punching everyone in the face right now. He asks what their intentions are with the Scarlet Witch. Before anyone else can answer diplomatically, Wolverine opens his big old mouth.

<--IMAGE-->

Not the kind of thing you really want to say in front of Wonder Man. Wolverine lays on the insults pretty think after this because the little scrapper REALLY wants Simon to knock him across the room. Once that's done, Logan pulls his claws on Captain America for not being serious enough about killing Wanda Maximoff. When Steve won't back down from his reasonable take on things (which is basically, "We'll see what's going on before we decide to just kill one of our friends") Wolverine storms off, intent on tracking the Scarlet Witch on his own and ending things permanentlike.

Simon doesn't find working with the others any more palatable than Logan. He declares that he'll look for Wanda on his own and flies off.

Meanwhile, Wiccan's about to get stupid again.

<--IMAGE-->

Billy writes a letter to his boyfriend telling Teddy that, yeah, he's doing something he KNOWS is a bad idea but his mind is just so SET on it that he can't turn away. He expects to be back by morning to tear up the letter but if Hulkling is reading it, that means things have gone south. Guess what? Teddy is totally reading this note.

Wiccan arrives in Latveria and is immediately surrounded by Doombot Sentries. He makes himself look like Wanda Maximoff and asks the Doombots to lead him back to his room. The Doombots comply, taking the Young Avenger back to Wanda's room.

Once in Wanda's room, Billy lowers his illusion and gets attacked by the real Wanda Maximoff. Wiccan tries to explain himself by saying he's trying to rescue her from Dr. Doom but he's operating under the false assumption that Wanda remembers her time as the Scarlet Witch. As New Avengers #26 showed us, she doesn't. She also doesn't think she needs rescuing because she is here to celebrate her own wedding. It's going down tomorrow and it'll be just wonderful.

We already know who she's marrying because of where she is and the fact that there's really only one eligible bachelor in Latveria that's worth marrying. Still, it's only fitting that the reveal happen from the groom himself. Dr. Doom enters the room to tell the Young Avenger that he's marrying Wanda and there's not much anyone can do about it.

• Spider-Man tries to stop a routine bank robbery only to find that it's not all that routine. It involves aliens!

• After beating up the aliens in the lobby, Spidey discovers that the entire bank has been lifted off planet.

• Oh, hey Nova.

• Nova and Spider-Man team up to take on the rest of the aliens. Worldmind recounts the two's past team-ups.

• Richard talks to the Wall-Crawler about his reaction to joining the Avengers.

• The Teshtari Damnation Crucible is found in the vault after some more alien criminals are dealt with.

• Nova... steals it? Yeah, Rider takes the device and brings it back to the Teshtari. Maybe he leaves an IOU.

The previous comic in this series was covered HERE.

Well, this is an interesting way to "end" Nova's career.

This adventure obviously takes place before the Thanos Imperative #6. It actually takes place before Secret Avengers #1, too. Richard Rider is still in the Marvel Universe not fighting Thanos to the bloody end.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. First off, we have Spider-Man fighting what he thinks are just normal, everyday bank robbers. They turn out to be aliens. It's just one of those things. This isn't the first time the Web-Spinner has fought aliens so he rolls pretty well with the reveal. He keeps fighting the aliens in the lobby but another group is able to run off into the vault. Spider-Man tells all the innocent bystanders that he's going to lead them outside before heading after the rest of the alien criminals.

That's going to be hard because the bank has officially left the planet earth behind it and is now being tractor beamed into outer space by an alien ship. Before Spider-Man can go right into freak out mode, Nova shows up to lend a hand.

Nova. Richard Rider. If you've read your share of Super Reads, you know that I've walked through a lot of Nova issues in my time. You'll also have a fairly good idea of who Richard Rider is. Let me give all you newcomers the details in fifty words or less. Nova-Prime is the leader of an intergalactic organization of space cops. They're powered up by the Xandarian Worldmind and charged with protecting the galaxy from situations just like this. I did it in thirty.

Nova knew that these aliens were heading towards earth but he never thought they'd do something this over the top. He and Spider-Man head to the vault to get the rest of these alien criminals (they're called Valgon Raiders). Worldmind busies herself with taking over the Valgon Raiders' ship so that the bank can be tractor beamed back to its point of origin. She's also ordered to catch Spider-Man up to speed on this situation.

Instead, Worldmind fills Spidey's head with images of past team-ups with Nova. They have a rich and colorful history together and you can tell that Richard Rider still values his super-hero relationship with the Wall-Crawler even though he's, like, a thousand times more powerful than he was when they last talked. At least all the power hasn't made him arrogant.

I could give you more detail on this duo taking on the Valgon Raiders but it's made quickly apparent that this story isn't really about this alien criminals. They're just backdrop so that our two heroes can talk it out. Space bank robbery! It lets Richard and Peter meet up and discuss more important matters.

Chief among this involves a recent conversation with Steve Rogers. Readers of Secret Avengers know that Nova was a member of that team for it's first story arc. Well, before he worked with the team, he had to be invited and that's exactly what this talk is about. Commander Rogers wants Richard Rider on his Secret Avengers team. This isn't a full-time gig because Steve realizes that Nova's beat is the entire universe. He just asks for the space cop to be available should earth need him. Rider gets a cheesy grin on his face and tells the former Captain America that nothing would make him happier.

This is what Richard wants to talk to Spider-Man about. How lame was his reaction to Steve Rogers calling him up to the "big leagues?" Spidey tells Nova that any sane person would have had the same cheesy grin when the legendary hero of World War II called them to be an Avenger. It's totally cool.

With that life lesson learned, Nova and Spider-Man beat up the last of the Valgon Raiders.

<--IMAGE-->

So what were these aliens after in the first place? It turns out that there was a Teshtari Damnation Crucible left on earth in the ancient past. This device is your basic alien doomsday mechanism but it looks so much like a vase that some billionaire bought it, thinking he's picked up a rare artifact from earth's past. The heroes decide to do some personal redistribution of wealth and have the vase returned to the Teshtari people. Nova become the delivery boy.

We all hope that this billionaire is compensated for his loss otherwise our heroes just robbed a bank. That billionaire has potential kids to feed!

Nova flies off with the doomsday device and the alien criminals, leaving Spider-Man and the bank to drift back to earth.

Writer: Sean McKeeverArtist: Mike Mayhew

In this story:

• Justice and Firestar fight Justice and Firestar! One of these sets is from the past, circa Avengers v. 3 #8 for the only appearance of this version of Firestar's costume and Avengers v. 3 #24-55.

• The younger set of Vance and Angel win but some of this is because the older versions start remembering this battle from the younger people's perspective.

• Both sets of heroes talk about their current situation before round two.

• The younger group listens to the older two bicker about their break-up.

• Then they realize that this is all a distraction from the real threat. Loki brought these time-displaced heroes into the future along with the rest of the past Avengers and it's because the god of mischief had other plans that needed some distractions.

Do you see that first bullet point above? It's continuity like that, that gives me internet headaches. The past version of Fire

Written or Contributed by: SuperginraiX

Support our sponsors:

Help spread the word, loyal readers! Share this story on social media:

Comment without an Outhouse Account using Facebook

We get it. You don't feel like signing up for an Outhouse account, even though it's FREE and EASY! That's okay. You can comment with your Facebook account below and we'll take care of adding it to the stream above. But you really should consider getting a full Outhouse account, which will allow you to quote posts, choose an avatar and sig, and comment on our forums too. If that sounds good to you, sign up for an Outhouse account by clicking here.

Note: while you are welcome to speak your mind freely on any topic, we do ask that you keep discussion civil between each other. Nasty personal attacks against other commenters is strongly discouraged. Thanks!

Help spread the word, loyal readers! Share this story on social media:

About the Author - SuperginraiX

SuperginraiX is the biggest sap on The Outhousers' payroll (wait, we get paid?). He reads every issue of every crappy Marvel crossover so you don't have to. Whats worse is that he pays for his books, thus condoning Marvel's behavior. If The Outhouse cared for his well being at all, they'd try and get him into some sort of rehab center. But, alas, none of us even know how to say his name. For a good time, ask Super why Captian America jumped off the Helicarrier in Fear Itself. Super lives in the frozen wastland that is Minnesota with 15% of the state's population living under his roof: a wife he makes wear an Optimus Prime mask, two gremlins, and his mother-in-law.